Treatments for actinic keratoses

ABSTRACT

A composition of gentamicin and colchicine in a dermatologically acceptable cream base provided improved clearance of actinic keratoses following topical application for 1 to 3 months. The composition provides improved clearance of recalcitrant actinic keratoses. Furthermore, the treatment causes less pain and irritation than other topical treatments for actinic keratoses.

This application claims priority from and the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/592,532 filed 30 Jan. 2012.

AREA OF THE ART

The present invention is in the art of dermatology and more specificallyrelates to a topical composition for the treatment of actinic keratoses.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Not too long ago most people in the United States and Europe generallyavoided excessive exposure to sunlight. Males wore hats that usuallyincluded brims large enough to substantially shade the face and neck. Atleast in the upper and middle classes the typical male garb rarelyexposed significant regions of bare skin. Even bathing suits would oftencover substantial portions of the male torso including arms andlegs—bare chests were unheard of. Females were even more sun protected.Ladies wore large hats complete with veils and scarves. Use of a parasolwhen outdoors was de rigueur. Female costumes provided even morecoverage than male costumes. Until the 1920's even exposed ankles wereoften considered scandalous. A great premium was placed on delicatewhite female complexions without any tan or freckling or symptoms of sunexposure.

But the attitude to sun exposure has changed dramatically in the last 50years or so. First the restrictions on exposure of the male torso weregradually relaxed. Bare arms and legs and even bare chests becameacceptable. Today in the western world only coverage of the malegenitalia is enforced. At the same time a tan was reevaluated from beinga sign of a member of the lower classes to being a sign of vigor andhealth. A similar but less dramatic transformation also affected thefemale costume. Bare arms, legs and stomachs became acceptable. Only thefemale genitalia and to a lesser extent the female bosom remainconcealed. It is now considered attractive for females to be tanned andshow other symptoms of sun exposure.

Although some exposure to sun light is critical to the synthesis ofVitamin D, sun light is not harmless. Absorption of infra-red lightresults in heating of the skin and can potentially damage tissuesthrough a “cooking-like” phenomenon. Absorption of visible andultra-violet light also causes heating, but these wavelengths are muchmore energetic. Ultra-violet light, and to a lesser extent visiblelight, are sufficiently energetic to result in chemical changes. Thetanning response is largely the skin's attempt to protect itself byproviding a shading barrier to sunlight. Although light can inducechemical changes (i.e., damage) to a large variety of biologicalstructures, probably the most significant damage is caused by theability of ultra-violet light to induce photochemical changes in thepyrimidine bases of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). A common expression ofthis photochemistry is the dimerization of the thymine bases. Suchdimerization affects the replication and translation of the geneticmaterial. Cells contain repair mechanisms to excise and replace thedamaged regions of DNA, but these mechanisms are not one hundred percentaccurate. Therefore, ultra-violet damage introduces mutations into theDNA which can result in abnormal cell growth including precancerous andcancerous lesions.

A common ultra-violet induced lesion occurs when the genetic material ofthe keratinocytes becomes damaged. Specifically, DNA alterations ofkeratinocytes in the basal layer of the epidermis result in ActinicKeratoses (AKs). The AKs are crusty, thick, scaly and/or often pigmentedpremalignant (precancerous) lesions. When abnormal cells spread to oroccur in the dermis, the lesion is defined as a squamous cell carcinoma,and the lesion has converted into a true skin cancer. Because asignificant number of AKs progress to squamous cell carcinoma, it isimportant to treat (i.e., remove) AKs. The treatment of ActinicKeratoses (AKs) is very common in dermatology particularly in sunnyregions. Increased sun activities over a lifetime increase the risk forthese AK's. In Southern California, AKs are very prevalent in thepopulation from the age of 30 years to the elderly.

At the present time, the conventional treatment for AKs is to spray orapply cryogenic liquid nitrogen (LN₂) to the lesions. This treatmentgenerally works well for discrete specific lesions; however, the skincan experience sufficient sun damage that AKs will keep appearing evenwith regular liquid nitrogen treatment. There are some creams that cantreat incipient AKs and/or AKs that that are already present. The mostcommon creams contain 5-fluorouracil (5% is the most popularconcentration), an anticancer medication. The compound is actually anartificial analog of the DNA base thymidine. It is known as a “suicideinhibitor” because it irreversibly blocks the enzyme thymidylatesynthase. Blocking the synthase results in a shortage of thymidine whichblocks DNA replication in rapidly growing cancer and precancerous cellsthereby resulting in cell death. The reaction to this treatment istypically 4-6 weeks in duration and results in crusted, very painful,very red lesions and peeling of the skin. Even when the 5-fluorouraciltreatment is effective, AKs can return and the patient still needs to befollowed to watch for further development of AKs.

In my more than 25 years of practicing dermatology, my patients havereported some ultimately positive results from the 5-fluorouracilcreams, but most patients would choose not to go through the 4-6 weeksof discomfort and unsightly appearance that results from the treatment.

Current AK treatments are all have significant drawbacks. Liquidnitrogen treatments require regular freezing to the affected areas foradequate control of AKs. LN₂ is a common treatment that can be effectivein some cases. However, with an increased number of lesions on the face,LN₂ treatment can become very traumatic. The freezing hurts and causesscabbing, crusting, blistering and pain for 7-10 days. In addition, itcan result in scarring. In some cases, depending on how much sun damagehas accumulated over the years or depending on the ongoing sun damagethe patient is still receiving (e.g. lifeguards), LN₂ treatment is noteffective. Furthermore for other body areas, including the scalp or thearms and legs, LN₂ treatment is less effective.

The anti-AK creams that are available, notably 5-flourouracil creams,are often very hard on the patient. The treatment results in 4-6 weeksof pain with crusting and scabbing over the entire area of theapplication, which often includes the entire face. Patients have a verydifficult time with the creams if they need to be seen in public foremployment purposes or at any social occasion. Many patients who havereceived 5-flourouracil treatments regret having taken those treatmentsbecause of the side effects.

In addition, some patients without obvious onset of squamous cellcarcinoma (SCC) or basal cell carcinoma (BCC) show conversion of the AKsto SCC or BCC. With an excessive amount of chronic sun exposure, thereis an increase of progression of AKs to skin carcinomas.

Clearly alternate treatments for AKs beyond LN₂ and 5-fluorouracil aresorely needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aminoglycoside antibiotics such as gentamicin have unexpectedly beenfound to provide an effective treatment for actinic keratoses whenapplied topically in a dermatologically acceptable cream base. Greatlyimproved results are achieved by combining gentamicin with tubulinbinding drugs such as colchicine in the same cream base. Combinationsranging between 1% and 0.1% by weight of each of these two ingredientshave proven to be more effective and less irritating than competingtopical treatments. It is believed that alteration of m-RNA translationby the aminoglycoside—particularly correction of Nonsensemutations—combined with the cell division slowing properties of thetubulin binding drug results in either correction of the genetic causeof the lesion or in apoptosis of the altered cells. The combination ofan aminoglycoside with a tubulin binding drug offers a new approach tothe treatment of actinic keratoses and related precancerous skinconditions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a photograph of the scalp of Patient 1 showing AKs prior totreatment;

FIG. 2 is a photograph of the scalp of Patient 1 following treatmentaccording the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a photograph of the scalp of Patient 2 showing AKs prior totreatment;

FIG. 4 is a photograph of the scalp of Patient 2 following treatmentaccording the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a photograph of the leg of Patient 3 showing an AK prior totreatment; and

FIG. 6 is a photograph of the leg of Patient 3 following treatmentaccording the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description is provided to enable any person skilled inthe art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modescontemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Variousmodifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled inthe art, since the general principles of the present invention have beendefined herein specifically to provide a novel topical composition forthe improved treatment of actinic keratoses.

Ingredients of the Composition

As detailed below the major active ingredients of the composition arecolchicine and an aminoglycoside antibiotic (namely gentamicin) in adermatologically acceptable cream base. The cream base is anoil-in-water emulsion of lipophilic components including caprylic/caprictriglycerides, stearyl alcohol, stearic acid and diisopropyl dimerdilinoleate with glyceryl monosterate, PEG-100 Stearate and PEG-40Stearate as emulsifiers. Propylene glycol is included as a cosolvent.Aluminum magnesium silicate and silica are used as thickening,opacifying agents. Trace amounts of methylparaben, propylparaben,imidazolidinyl urea, propyl gallate and BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole)are added as antioxidants and preservatives. Citric acid is used as a pHadjustor and preservative.

The major active ingredients used in the current invention are generallynot available in any commercial product for treatment of precancerouslesions of the skin. This combination of these two active ingredientshas never been used for treatment of precancerous or otherdermatological conditions. Furthermore, the combination is synergisticresulting in greater effectiveness than either ingredient alone or thanwould be expected from the combination of the ingredients.

Aminoglycosides.

Aminoglycosides are antibiotics that also show anti-inflammatory effectsand suppressive effects on translation of nonsense mutations.Aminoglycoside antibiotics have generally not been available for use asa topical skin product although they are approved for and used as orallyadministered and intra-venous antibiotics. There are actually a numberof rather different antibiotics included in the aminoglycoside group.The antibiotics used in the present invention include aminoglycosidessuch as gentamicin and tetracycline that exhibit anti-inflammatoryeffects when applied to the skin. In the late 1960's Dr. Ronald Reisnerand Dr. Madeline Puhvel demonstrated that tetracycline antibiotics wereanti-inflammatory when used in the treatment of acne. They demonstratedthat the anti-inflammatory benefits were not related to theantibacterial properties of the antibiotics.

One of the important properties of the aminoglycoside antibiotics usefulin the present invention is their effects on m-RNA translation.Antibiotics are produced by microorganisms as chemical weapons usedagainst competing microorganisms. One site of attack is proteinsynthesis. Some aminoglycosides bind to ribosomes and distort theinteraction between the m-RNA and the ribosome so as to result in theincorporation of incorrect amino acids during protein synthesis. In thewild this distortion of protein synthesis can kill or severely disable acell. Obviously, these antibiotics do not have this effect on mammalianribosomes (or else they would never be used therapeutically). However,it turns out that they can have more subtle effects on mammalian proteinsynthesis.

Nonsense Mutations.

A nonsense mutation is a point mutation in a sequence of DNA thatresults in the substitution of a STOP codon for a codon specifying anamino acid. When the mutated gene is translated on the ribosome, theSTOP codon causes the protein being synthesized to terminateprematurely, often as a non-functional peptide. This differs from amissense mutation, which is a point mutation where a single nucleotideis changed thereby causing substitution of a different amino acid. Somegenetic disorders, such as thalassemia and DMD (Duchenne musculardystrophy), result from nonsense mutations. In the case of a nonsensemutation analysis of the non-functional mutant protein will show that itis shorter than the functional wild type protein.

Nonsense mutations can result in a genetic disease by causing themalfunction of a critical protein; for example, dystrophin in DMD. Thesame genetic disease may, however, be caused by other kinds of damage tothe same gene. Examples of diseases in which nonsense mutations areknown to be among the causes include: Cystic fibrosis (caused bymutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator(CFTR) gene); DMD (dystrophin); Beta thalassemia (p-globin); and Hurlersyndrome (alpha-L-iduronidase)

More recently nonsense mutations have been recognized as possible causesof some cancers. It has long been known that cancers often result fromgenetic damage. Although the precise reasons for the link betweenmutations and cancer is not yet know, it is generally hypothesized thatmutation can cause cancer by directly damaging genes for cellularsystems that suppress cancer. In some cases failure of cellularregulatory mechanisms can result in uncontrolled cell growth. Loss ofreceptors that lead to cell apoptosis can also result in cancer. Arecent study demonstrated the presence of nonsense mutations in squamouscell cancers of the skin. (Kubo, Y. et al., J Invest Dermatol. 1994April; 102(4):440-4.)

Aminoglycosides have found use in blocking nonsense genes. There is anextensive literature on attempts to use these antibiotics to treat someof the genetic diseases listed above. Essentially, by distorting them-RNA binding site on the ribosome, these antibiotics can cause the STOPcodon to be misread so that protein synthesis continues on through thenonsense mutation and the rest of the gene is translated. This willoften result in a fully functional or nearly fully functional protein,thereby obviating the genetic disease.

I reasoned that AKs could well be caused by light-induced nonsensemutations which destabilized growth of the cells. If aminoglycosides areable to suppress at least some of these mutations, the abnormal growthpatterns of these precancerous lesions might be reversed. Generally sucha treatment would be expected to have fewer side effects than toxicagents such as 5-fluorouracil. Alternatively, suppression of some of themutations might facilitate cellular apoptosis. Either way the AKs wouldbe eliminated.

Colchicine.

Colchicine is an alkaloid that binds to tubulin (the protein makes upmicrotubules). This binding blocks the polymerization of tubulin intomicrotubules and inhibits mitosis (cell division) because mitosis isdependent on microtubules to form the spindle, a structure thatdistributes the chromosomes during cell division. Thus, colchicine canblock cell division. For this reason colchicine continues to beinvestigated as an anticancer drug. At one time colchicine was used as atreatment for skin cancers and precancerous lesions (AKs) of the skin,and colchicine has been studied in the medical literature for AKs overthe years, although in the last 17-20 years, there has not been a studythat actually used the ingredient.

Gentamicin 1% Cream, Alone.

We studied twenty patients with this formulation applied to AK lesionsonce a day for either 1 month or 3 months. We instructed the patients toapply the cream to specific skin areas that included dermatologistdiagnosed AKs. The results showed that the extent of actinic keratosesdecreased by an average of 30% in the twenty patients. Most of thepatients applied the cream to the face—a common site for AKs. There werealso a number of males who applied the material to sun-exposed areas ofthe scalp. Additionally, there were some women using it on AKs of thelegs.

There was a low level (5-10%) of total improvement or clearing of AKs.Although gentamicin is known to have anti-inflammatory properties, thiswould not be expected to account for the improvement in the AKs. Mostprobably the suppression of nonsense mutations allowed genetic repairmechanisms to operate and actually correct some of the underlyinggenetic damage.

Colchicine 0.1% Cream, Alone.

Testing with colchicine alone, we found that 35-40% of the actinickeratoses were cleared in the patients tested. Unfortunately, thistreatment showed a significant level of skin irritation. Skin irritationis likely the reason that colchicine is not commonly used indermatologic treatments.

Combined 1% Gentamicin and 0.1% Colchicine Cream.

The same study format of once daily application for 1 and 3 months wasfollowed. The cream was exactly the same formulation base as the creamwith gentamicin. We have noticed some increased irritation from thisproduct as compared to gentamicin or cream base alone, but thecombination is less irritating than colchicine alone. We have had somepatients use the combination cream once every other day to reduceirritation. The results were that approximately 60% of the AKs wereeliminated after 3 months of use.

Combined 0.3% Gentamicin and 0.2% Colchicine Cream.

Our preliminary experiments suggested that the combination of gentamicinwith colchicine reduced the overall irritation caused by colchicinealone. With this in mind we experimented with reducing the percentage ofgentamicin to determine whether that would affect the overall level ofirritation and/or effectiveness. We also experimented with increasingthe percentage of colchicine reasoning that a higher amount might bebetter tolerated in the presence of gentamicin. The combination of 0.3%gentamicin with 0.2% colchicine appears to provide maximum effectivenesswith minimum irritation. Of course, other combinations ranging between1% and 0.1% gentamicin and 1% and 0.1% colchicine may prove to beparticularly effective.

Trial of 0.3% Gentamicin and 0.2% Colchicine Cream.

We gathered difficult patients who were not responding well to LN₂treatment of AKs. Often recalcitrant cases will be males with lesions onthe scalp and females with lesions on the legs. Because my practice islocated in Manhattan Beach, Calif. we were able to recruit many patientswith an average sun exposure much higher than even other regions withinthe Los Angeles metropolitan area. Patients in Manhattan Beach aretypically involved in a number of outdoor-related activities thatsignificantly increase sun exposure. This high level of current sunexposure definitely keeps AK's recurring or failing to resolve. Many ofthe patients grew up in Manhattan Beach as well so that theiroverexposure to the sun has been lifelong.

Patients were instructed to apply the inventive cream to the affectedareas once per day and were evaluated monthly. Responses were tabulated(Table 1) based on how well the cream worked on the difficult AK's; theoverall response, based on the percentage of AK's that were cleared, wasalso tabulated.

TABLE 1 Total response % AK Patient Patient (0/10)¹ ² Gender LocationReaction comment AA 6 65% M Face — — BA 7 60% F Legs     BL 6 50% M Face    CM 8 75% F Face     CS 9 75% M Face,   Great scalp response; shouldbe patented. CT 8 75% F Legs   No recurring AKs unlike before DG 8 70% FFace   Good control of difficult area DW 9 100% M Face Redness Clearedarea for 2 that always weeks. recurred HL 9 70% M Scalp   Scalp hasnever been better JB 8 80% M Legs   Works where LN₂ does not JC 5 40% MFace     KL 7 65% M Scalp     LK 8 70% F Face   Great response. Don'trun out MW 6 50% F Legs     NK 4 30% F Legs     PS 6 60% F Face     RA 870% M Face,     back RH 7 75% M Legs     RW 10 90% M Face SlightCompletely redness cleared spots I used it on SP 7 60% M Scalp  Prevents carcinomas from forming TF 7 50% M Chest     WD 5 40% M Face    Average 7.2 64.5%       ¹response is the physician's evaluation ofoverall response of the AK's with 10 being a great response and 0 beingno response ²the percentage of AK's being treated that clearedcompletely.

FIG. 1 shows the scalp of Patient 1 prior to treatment with the 0.3%gentamicin/0.2% colchicine cream. This should be contrasted with FIG. 2which shows the same scalp after the treatment. Similarly, FIG. 3 showsthe scalp of Patient 2 prior to treatment, and FIG. 4 shows the scalp ofPatient 2 after treatment. FIG. 5 shows a lesion on the leg of Patient 3pretreatment while FIG. 6 shows the same leg after the treatment. Theprimary lesions cleared completely or almost completely. In addition,the overall appearance of the skin improved.

CONCLUSIONS

The 0.3% gentamicin with 0.2% colchicine was somewhat more effectivethan our preliminary results with related compositions. Because thefinal study included a number of recalcitrant patients who had failedLN₂ treatments, it is likely that this composition is even moreeffective than the comparative results might suggest.

From this final study we were able to conclude:

1. The 0.3% gentamicin with 0.2% colchicine cream was effective atclearing difficult AKs.

2. For the patients who were constantly developing skin carcinomas, thatis, SCC and BCC, there appeared to be a decreased incidence in thedevelopment of additional carcinomas.

3. Although we did not monitor all reactions, patients reported muchless reaction of redness, scrabbling, pain, and ulceration compared toother products such as Efudex® (brand of fluorouracil cream), Carac®(brand of fluorouracil cream) or Aldara®(brand of imiquimod cream). Weconfirmed this from the reactions we monitored and by comparing resultsfrom the patients who had been treated with the other products.

4. The inventive cream worked much better than Solaraze® (brand ofdiclofenac gel) in abolishing AKs. We found that Solaraze® was generallynot effective at clearing AK's and was effective only in controllingsome of the growth of AKs.

5. Therefore, this composition is more effective than competing productswhile causing less irritation and pain.

Our study demonstrates that the AKs are effectively treated with the newcombination and separately using gentamicin by itself. This is anentirely new use of gentamicin. It would appear that gentamicintreatment results in the normalization of some genetic mutations. Otheraminoglycosides with effects on m-RNA translation are likely to showsimilar efficacy. Colchicine would be expected to slow cell division byinhibiting spindle formation perhaps thereby allowing more time for asuboptimal cellular repair system to operate. Other tubulin-bindingcompounds would be expected to show similar results. Significantly, thecombination of gentamicin with colchicine is more effective than eitherof these agents alone. Because gentamicin seems to reduce the level ofirritation caused by colchicine, it was possible in the presence ofgentamicin to effectively use a higher concentration of colchicine. Asan alternative to every other day application of the combined cream, itis also possible to alternate daily application of the combination withapplication of gentamicin alone as a means of further reducingirritation.

It will be appreciated that other aminoglycoside antibiotics showsignificant effects on nonsense mutations. The present inventionincludes the use of any of these aminoglycosides. Also, one of ordinaryskill in the art will readily appreciate that colchicine is not the onlytubulin binding drug. The present invention necessary includescombination of aminoglycoside antibiotics with such tubulin bindingdrugs.

The following claims are to be understood to include what isspecifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptuallyequivalent, what can be obviously substituted and also what incorporatesthe essential idea of the invention. The illustrated embodiment has beenset forth only for the purposes of example and that should not be takenas limiting the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate thatvarious adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferredembodiment can be configured without departing from the scope of theinvention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope ofthe appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than asspecifically described herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for treatment of actinic keratoses inhumans comprising the step of periodically topically applying apharmaceutically effective amount of gentamicin in a pharmaceuticallyacceptable cream base composition to actinic keratoses.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein colchicine is added to said composition.3. The method according to claim 2, wherein application of thecomposition of gentamicin and colchicine is alternated with thecomposition containing only gentamicin.
 4. The method according to claim2, wherein the composition comprises between 0.1% by weight and 1.0% byweight gentamicin and between 0.1% by weight and 1.0% by weightcolchicine.
 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the compositioncomprises 1.0% by weight gentamicin and 0.1% by weight colchicine. 6.The method according to claim 4, wherein the composition comprises about0.3% by weight gentamicin and about 0.2% by weight colchicine.
 7. Acomposition for the topical treatment of actinic keratoses in humanscomprising a pharmaceutically effective amount of gentamicin andcolchicine in a pharmaceutically acceptable cream base composition. 8.The composition according to claim 7 comprising between 0.1% by weightand 1.0% by weight gentamicin and between 0.1% by weight and 1.0% byweight colchicine.
 9. The composition according to claim 7 comprisingabout 1.0% by weight gentamicin and about 0.1% by weight colchicine. 10.The composition according to claim 7 comprising about 0.3% by weightgentamicin and about 0.2% by weight colchicine.